Requiem
by TitanDragonfire
Summary: Sequel to Incandescence. The war rages on, Zuko struggles to choose the right path while Kaida struggles with taking a stand. How will they both determine the outcome of the war and live up to their destinies? ZukoxOC
1. In Ba Sing Se

Kaida sat in a large sitting room of her aunt's home in Ba Sing Se. Her aunt, Yoriko, was playing the part of an influential Earth Kingdom aristocrat. She was doing quite a good job of it and was quite comfortable with her life. She had a handful of servants for company, having no husband or children. She was particularly glad for Kaida's being there, although was quite horrible at expressed her gladness.

Kaida was thrust into a world of which was completely foreign to her. It was nothing like the upper class of the Fire Nation. Here they was no talk of supremacy or war, it was polite conversation of the weather or tea. You had to choose your words carefully or else…her aunt only left it at that. There must be something horrible awaiting those who speak of a restricted subject.

Kaida didn't particularly like the dresses, makeup, and headdresses she was forced to wear either. They weren't as soft as Fire Nation silks and linen were. It was a kind of thick cotton or wool, sometimes something better, but it was uncommon. It scratched at her skin and made her itch constantly. They girls here wore way too much makeup as well, and she spent most of her time wiping it off on her sleeves.

She was careful to adjust her posture when her aunt's attendant, Li-Hyun, came in. A tall man with dark hair and a face that looked like it had been tightened to the point of nearly ripping his skin. His nose was forever stuck in the air. It was his job to monitor Kaida's behavior, dress, manners, and everything else her aunt could ask for. She had suffered many…character builders…since she arrived and asked to stay with her nearest living relative. These "character builders" were nothing more than the common punishments Li-Hyun used to make Kaida miserable and entertain himself at the same time.

Kaida wanted nothing more than to return to the Fire Nation, in a time of peace, and live with her grandfather again and perhaps see Zu-…Her thoughts ended abruptly when Li-Hyun slapped the table in front of her sharply with a thin stick. He glared at her down his long crooked nose.

"Please pay attention," was his bitter command.

But her thoughts did again wander as her aunt and her guests moved into the room she was in and struck up normal, "safe" conversation. She had not bended in such a while, she was frightened she would not be able to do so ever again. The red stone had ceased to drip away from the little silver dragon pendant she still wore, for an unknown reason. She sifted through many thoughts before again coming to the same person.

Prince Zuko. She hadn't seen him in such a long while, or his uncle. She worried for them and missed them. She wondered why she just couldn't let them go. The other day, while walking to a shop with her aunt and companions, she thought she saw Zuko walking along the road beside them. But he was different than the Zuko from her memory. His hair was grown out and messy and he had been in Earth Kingdom clothes. He looked changed somehow, but that scar she thought she saw under his long bangs made her dwell on the memory and dismiss theories of it being some random city boy.

"My my, dear Lady Kaida, I do say you look so pale. Are you well?" One of her aunt's companions spoke to her for a change. Kaida looked up to her, indeed very pale in the face, but said nothing. She was receiving some nasty looks from Li-Hyun from over the woman's shoulder.

"Yes, I am feeling a bit under the weather. Please excuse me," she stood and bowed respectfully to the ladies and then her aunt before leaving the room. She went straight to the kitchen, with its warm stone oven and stacks and piles of various ingredients and sat by the hearth in the corner. Normally a couple of servants would be in baking all day, but today they were out buying more food for the week, so the kitchen was empty.

Kaida laid her head on her folded arms, feeling the warmth of a dying fire. Her eyes watched, half dazed, slowly sinking into a warm orange color. Without her noticing, the fire grew and strengthened, all in the view of an approaching Li-Hyun. Her hand was smacked by the thin rod sharply, interrupting her thoughts rudely. She turned and looked at him as the fire returned to normal. His eyes were wide and glassy as they darted between her and the fireplace.

Kaida felt her heart in her throat as she realized what she had just done. Before reacting, Li-Hyun was showering her with a series of whacks with his cursed stick. She balled her fists after trying to fend off his attacks and for the first time, turned out the door and fled.


	2. Heartache

Kaida sat at the side of a well in some back alley courtyard of the city, her arms folded and resting atop the stone sides. It was well past sundown and the paths nearby were all silent and abandoned as people closed their shutters and gathered together for dinner or evening storytelling. She was alone, quietly crying into the cold, unfeeling walls of the well. Warm tears fell down her cold cheeks, since the night was beginning to have a sharp chill to the air. They tried to comfort, but sadly did nothing but remind her of her troubles and sadness.

She didn't want to be sad; she wanted to make the best of the situation. She had somewhere to go, a good place with a roof over her head and hot meals. She had clothing on her back, despite its scratchiness, she was grateful for it. But she was unhappy with the way she was treated and how she was expected to behave. No one can be perfect. She wasn't allowed to bend or speak of her native Nation. Or even speak of the war. She had no power to say anything on her mind, nor permission to. And she was lonely. True her aunt was there, but she didn't really count for someone. She and Kaida had grown apart bitterly and unknowingly. Her aunt had hardened herself into perfection for pleasing this fake Nation of hers. She gave up ties to her native country in return for false safety. Although, on some nights Kaida could hear her calling out in her sleep to her dead husband, lost in the war many years past, and her lost son. Perhaps she was lonely and coped by building a strong exterior and locked everything inside. Kaida could only do that so well, before emotion and memories came bursting out in a violent flood.

Like now, her nerves had finally reached their end. She clutched the stone as if it were the only thing keeping her alive. Fire burned in her veins fiercely, screaming to burn freely. The desire to Firebend had never been greater, but she suppressed it stubbornly. Her aching heart longed for an end to this war, an end to the stupidity and hate that flew in the air like mad. She looked down and saw the dangling pendant around her neck had lost more of its ruby encasement. She was stunned and puzzled by this, but was shocked into her senses at the sound of footsteps.

Kaida raised her head and looked around the empty, dark courtyard for the source of the noise. Her heart pounded and her mind began to go wild with thoughts. Thoughts bordering on the imaginary. She hoped with every fiber of her being it would be a friendly face, Uncle Iroh perhaps, coming by with his usual cup of tea while whistling a little tune. Or perhaps even more so, it was Prince Zuko. Whether in one of his moods or pleasantly content she did not care, but instead hoped to any gods or deities or creatures that ruled the earth and its workings to send him to save her from her aunt and Li-Hyun and the rest of this stuffy society in Ba Sing Se. She never hoped to see any one person more in her life before.

Her heart felt as though it would burst as a shadow came within view. She looked hopefully while praying, her eyes glued to the corner and turning a hopeful pale blue. The person stepped out into view, seen just barely in the twilight.

His voice was what gave him away, followed by a swish of a stick cutting through air. It was Li-Hyun…


	3. Bending

It was the fifth time Kaida had snuck out that week, but she had to. She slipped away a little while after her aunt and attendants went to sleep and returned just past midnight each time. She could get away from her aunt, Yoriko, the servants, and from Li Hyun…

Kaida balled her fists at the thought of that cruel instructor Yoriko had around for her. She was out in the night air once more after climbing out of her window and running across the garden. She made her way through the streets of Ba Sing Se with natural ease, for she had taken great care to memorize routes to and from the house when she and her aunt went out. Her clothes were plain, unlike the ones she was forced to wear all day. Pants, a sleeveless tunic, flat slip-on shoes. She had to get away. Kaida needed freedom from that stifling house and its rules and customs and punishments and endless (and mindless) visitors.

The air that night was heavy with moisture. It felt so think you could cut it with a knife. The sky was begging to pour rain any time now, but Kaida gave no notice or worry. For a few hours, she was free. She was free to bend…

A nice courtyard, led to by narrow alleys on four sides, surrounded by large buildings with no windows but in the front. No one would be out at this hour. Kaida stood in the crossroads of that courtyard, just watching the way the wind played with the shriveled, dry leaves and dust. This city was stifling, so different and so strange. She had thought her aunt's control on her dress, her activities, and her speech had been the reason she felt so caged. But that built up pressure swelling in her chest, causing all these rocky emotions and thoughts, it was not just that. It was the constraint on her soul, her life, her bending.

A strong breeze blew against the wind, stirring the leaves and dust up again. Kaida smiled. She felt a raindrop touch her arm. Then another, and another… It began to rain like the sky felt the same need to release as she did, or perhaps it was sympathizing with her, or perhaps taunting…

Kaida held her hands up, assuming a stance, and the raindrops about her person froze and hung in the air. Her practice was beginning to pay off. She whipped jets of water about in graceful arcs and sharp lines. She used one spray of water to form needle-sharp icicles that dug into the earth deeply. The water was therapeutic, somehow, she felt calmer and more balanced. The rain began to pour, drenching Kaida to the skin but it did not bother her.

White hot flames lit up the courtyard with an eerie warm glow. The rain steamed away from the heat. The flames danced and tore through the air. Kaida's eyes shifted bright gold, reflecting the fire's colours as she continued to firebend. She gritted her teeth together, the passion and anger built up inside flowing through her fingers creating the flames. A tear made its way down her cheek, or perhaps it was only a raindrop. The water did nothing to hinder the fire anymore, despite it pouring down relentlessly. The water streamed down Kaida's arms and dripped from her clothing before fluttering away as steam. The blonde made one last, gigantic fireball and drove it into the cobblestones with such force the nearby stones singed and turned black, some crumbling to ash.

Kaida pulled her arms down after a moment's pause and let out a deep breath. Finished. Her body felt lighter, freer. She smiled, almost laughed, standing there in that rainstorm. Kaida had been scared, before she had begun to sneak out, that she had forgotten how to bend completely. But it was second nature to her, like all benders. She could never forget…

She could never forget… Her mind wandered in that loud night rain to many things. Her old home, her missing family, the army, the war. Why was everything so complicated? Why couldn't she just forget about the sad things and think of the good? Why was she so stuck on thinking about that one person…? The rain fell, ignoring her questions, and answering her with the hiss of shattering droplets.


	4. Mushi?

Yoriko led her line of attendants, and Kaida, along the streets of Ba Sing Se and followed the winding paths to a tea house everyone was buzzing about. The clouds overhead passed over the sun every now and then. Small puddles lingered here and there. Kaida had put some distance between herself and her aunt. She had changed so much.

"Now dear, feel free to browse the nearby shops if you like. They're so quaint and…unusual. But watch yourself! Do you need Li-Hyun to stay with you?" Her aunt asked her, concerned.

"No ma'am."

"Alright then," she smiled to her niece, "Then have fun dear." The woman entered the tea shop with her group just as a small shower of posters rained down overhead. Kaida looked up and caught one. It sported a picture of a large animal she was fairly familiar with. 'Is the Avatar here?' Kaida wondered. She looked up to the tea shop and read the sign again.

"S'a great place. A nice old guy and his nephew work there," a girl appeared at Kaida's side. The girl had long dark brown, almost black, hair braided neatly. She gave Kaida a warm smile, "I'm Jin."

Kaida returned the smile feebly, "Nice to meet you. My name is Kaida."

"Cute name! Hey, whatcha doin' around here? You don't look the type for this place," she eyed Kaida's clothes.

"I'm…looking for someone, actually," Kaida said, sounding unsure.

"For a date? You wouldn't wanna try in there. The boy, Li, he's cute and all. But he's not the dating type. I guess…" Jin looked down at the ground, her smile fading.

"Li…?"

"Yup. Tall, dark hair, some scar," Jin rattled out. All the while, since the mention of a scar, Kaida's eyes widened and she listened intently.

"Um, thank you for the warning Jin. I better go inside though, my aunt is waiting for me. Nice meeting you!"

"No prob! Nice meetin' ya too!" The girl waved and winked before moving on.

Kaida dashed to the door, which opened on its own. A group of tall, well-dressed me n exited chatting rapidly. One of them apologized and held the door for her as she hurried inside. She looked around, green eyes searching the face of every customer and attendee there. Her eyes stayed upon an older man serving tea at a nearby table. He was unmistakably familiar, right down to his warm chuckle and grey hair. Kaida snuck past her aunt's table and trailed the man as he moved to the back of the shop.

"General Iroh," she called in a whisper, loud enough for the man's ears to hear it. He stopped dead in his tracks and stood frozen to the spot for a moment. He slowly turned around and his eyes became wide with shock and glee.

Iroh waved her into a secluded room, where most of the tea ingredients were stored, before speaking to her in a cheerful voice. "Kaida! Is it really you?"

Kaida could have wept with joy to see the man. He pulled her into a backbreaking hug. "Oh! My name is Mushi here, Kaida, don't forget that. Is that what you still go by?"

"It is. I am staying here with my aunt Yoriko," she told him, hiding any sign of emotion towards the woman. "Wait…Mushi?"

"Don't ask," Iroh grumbled, "But that's wonderful she's here! You know, so much has happened…I didn't expect to see you again Kaida, but I am glad to!"

Kaida grinned and shared a little of her experience with him and in turn he told her parts of his story. Kaida froze suddenly and remembered. "Where is Prince Zuko?"

Iroh stopped and looked at her, "Zuko? He's here! He just went out though, but he'll be back. He goes by Li now."

Kaida recalled Jin's comments now. She wondered how that girl came to know him. But she didn't care. Her heart nearly soared with joy to hear he was there. The two moved back into the restaurant without drawing attention. Her spirits came crashing down at the sound of her aunt's shrill voice calling to her.

Her aunt's table had a couple of men standing beside it, looking down to Yoriko and her posse with devilish smiles. They had been arguing quietly and the woman had had enough.

"Kaida! We're leaving! Hurry along," her aunt stood and started to the door. Kaida was torn between following obediently and staying to see Prince Zuko. She hesitated, and Iroh gave her a little nudge with a smile. He knew better for her to go.

"He will be here the next time." Iroh gave her a wise nod of his head before returning to the tea tray on the counter. Kaida looked at him then turned away to follow her aunt out.


	5. Passing Thoughts

A/N: Sorry for the long delay, so much schoolwork TT. But I'm on vacation now and am ready to write! Sorry for any spelling erorrs n such from my fanfic, etc. Anyways, hope to put more up soon. Enjoy!

"It's…complicated," he told her and turned to go. 'Such a coward,' he thought as he remembered that night. What had he been thinking that was so complicated?

Zuko lay with his arms crossed behind his head, awake in the early morning but not yet ready to rise for the day. He could hear his uncle humming and making a pot of tea, always cheerful. The melody was beginning to make Zuko feel ill…or perhaps he was getting sick. He closed his eyes and thought a moment, reflected a moment on all that had come to pass recently.

'It's complicated.' Yes, a Fire Nation prince in exile with his retired uncle could possibly have a fleeting teenage romance with some Earth Kingdom girl. A smart idea, of course! That would go over so will with the girl's parents!

Did he like that girl? Or was it perhaps the absence of anything normal that made him go along?

No, he didn't feel anything for her at all… Nothing. A strange emptiness.

--

"Did you hear that nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city!"

"That's right young man, you life's about to change for the better."

"I'll try to contain my joy," Zuko threw the tray down and stomped out of the shop. He leaned against the wall and glared at the ground until he heard a little crinkling noise. Looking up, he grabbed a falling sheet of paper, a poster of a very familiar bison.

Zuko stepped forward and looked all around the sky, saw nothing, and moved toward a nearby building. He clambered onto the rooftop and surveyed the scene around him. No sign of the little monk or his friends, but he had to be here. He had to.

A little drop of hope fired Zuko's blood. Something good did finally happen. He finally had something worthwhile to do.

--

"Uncle?"

"So the Blue Spirit…I wonder who could be behind that mask?"

Zuko sighed and pulled off the stuffy mask, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now? That you found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?" His uncle's words sounded more heated by the moment, almost angry.

"First I have to get it out of here-…" Zuko began, turning to the great beast.

"And then what!" his uncle's words inwardly startling. "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole. You had him and you had nowhere to go!"

"I would've figured something out-…" Zuko started, defensively.

"No!" Iroh quickly silenced him, "if his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"

Zuko scoffed, "I know my own destiny Uncle!"

"Is it you own destiny or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"

Those words echoed deeply in Zuko's mind, in his soul, as he left. So many things were happening, and it felt like they were happening too fast. His uncle herded him home to their apartment making the shame of his indecision all the more painful.

Zuko dragged his broadswords along the ground lacking the strength or dignity to hold them up.

"You did the right thing letting the Avatar's bison go free," his uncle tried to reassure him as he stumbled back towards his room.

"I don't feel right," Zuko put a hand to his head, indeed feeling quite queasy and dizzy from their walk home. He looked over to the corner of the room and discovered his vision was decreasing in sharpness and his head felt so heavy…So heavy, and the floor and darkness came to greet him.


	6. Spirited Away

A/N: Wow, longest chapter ever, man. Hope it gets good reviews. Anyways, I've been having a hard start of the summer. Home alone, friends all not talkin', bf mysteriously vanished. Well as I was bringing this monster to a close, bf instant messages me for the first time in forever (he was sick and his compy was wiped) and I'm totally still fangirl-squeeing. So friggin happy. So anyways, new inspiration to keep going! So new chappy soon and enjoy...

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The blue dragon continued her soft encouragement

The blue dragon continued her soft encouragement…the red dragon disappeared from sight…the hall and its occupants crumbled around him…his mother in danger…

Zuko felt himself being pulled down, sucked into the darkness that enveloped the whole hall. He cried out for help but nothing came, just blackness…

Then there was a faint light, like a cool breeze. Something white was making its way towards him in the darkness, slithering along soundlessly. A white dragon, peaceful and calm, wound itself around him gently and held him from falling deeper into the dark. It looked at him placidly, its eyes changing from green to blue.

It spoke in a melodic, familiar voice. "Listen to yourself…be calm and think…" It whispered until the darkness disappeared.

Zuko woke with his uncle handing him tea…

--

Kaida sat obediently beside her aunt as the older woman went through a list with one of her associates. Boredom never was so…boring. Her legs had long lost the feeling in them. She began to count the lines in the wooden table when the man finally rose to leave.

"Thank you for coming by," Yoriko stood and bowed respectfully. She waited until the man had left the room before she resettled herself on her cushion.

Kaida looked over silently, wanting to speak with her aunt about something other than tea or business. She missed the companionship she had with Iroh, when the subject, even tea, was never boring or controlled. She couldn't remember the last time she was able to speak freely. When she had been small, her aunt was a lovely friend and always listened to her stories no matter how short they were. Now, Kaida was even afraid to ask how the woman was every morning at breakfast.

She reached up and touched the little pendant hanging around her neck lightly. There was so little of the red stone around the silver dragon now. She sighed quietly.

"What is it, Kaida dear?"

Kaida immediately looked to her aunt, who wore a concerned look on her delicate features.

"Oh, nothing Aunt Yoriko," she smiled.

"Well, I feel rather stiff, don't you? I think a nice walk would do us both some good." The woman stood and stretched after putting a scroll down on the low table. "Will you join me?"

Kaida hesitated and looked into the woman's eyes, they were cold and unyielding. "I think I should get ready for your party later instead, Mei-feng wanted to help me pick a proper dress."

"Alright then, off you go," she shooed her out of the room.

Kaida watched the floor as she made her way to the room she used. Mei-feng was already there going through a small stack of fabric.

"Oh, good afternoon Miss Kaida," Mei-feng bowed politely to which Kaida nodded. "I am still looking for something for you to wear this evening. What would you prefer?"

"Let me look a moment." Kaida stepped towards a trunk in the corner of the room and opened it with a creak. The smell of old fabric wafted through the air, heavy and sweet. There were fabrics of designs and colours not often seen in the Earth Kingdom if at all. Fire Nation colours, rich reds, blacks, greys, and golds along with phoenix and dragons twisting and floating in their textile prisons all hovered neatly in little stacks inside the trunk. It was Yoriko's old trunk which Mei-feng had never seen inside of, and caught her attention quite well. Kaida felt homesick as she ran her fingers over the silks and brocade.

"I'll wear this," Kaida declared as she pulled a silvery-blue kimono from its spot in the trunk. Little dragonflies trailed happily along the entire garment in hues of blue, green, and golden yellow. It was the most muted of all the fabrics in the trunk, able to pass off as Earth Kingdom to say the least.

Mei-feng bowed and took the dress to air it out and retrieve the other pieces. Kaida stared at the fabrics another moment longer before pulling the heavy lid shut. She busied herself with searching through her aunt's old pins and combs while she waited on Mei-feng patiently. At last the brunette woman returned and motioned for Kaida to join her.

Kaida had forgotten, however, how long it took to get into a kimono. She ran out of things to look at long before Mei-feng had tied the obi and adjusted the bow in back and declared her finished. Thank goodness for lighter material in spring or else Kaida would have had to change her mind about sitting around for hours in something heavy she hadn't worn since she left the Fire Nation some time ago.

She sighed and looked at herself for a moment. It was a comfortable kimono to say something, more comfortable than court dress anyways. She sat carefully and talked with Mei-feng for a while before being called by her aunt and Li-Hyun for dinner.

--

Dinner took place at the home of some noble living in the upper ring near Aunt Yoriko's house. Kaida couldn't name off the guests or host if she tried. She sat obediently beside her aunt and another young lady, not getting a single chance to open her mouth all evening. Li-Hyun was around, somewhere. The drinks were being brought out when Kaida decided she needed some air, after all she wasn't looking forward to being in a room of drunken adults all night.

However, that was what happened for a good hour before she could finally get her aunt's attention politely. She leaned over and asked just as one of the hosts told a horribly terrible joke and sent the whole room into a case of the giggles. Ladies covering their mouths with a sleeve, fan, or pale hand while the men leaned back and chuckled and clapped one another on the back or smacked the table or topped off their drinks. The host's jokes weren't funny in the least bit, but they were to all those who had enough to drink. By the way the men kept the glasses full, nearly everyone was in good spirits.

Kaida excused herself after gaining her aunt's permission and retreated from the room. She found her way outside through a rounded doorway with light wooden doors which opened to a large, well-manicured garden. It was so calm and peaceful compared to the vulgar riot inside. Kaida had never known nobles and ladies to be so…loose and informal before.

She walked along the pathway looking at the young plants in the pale twilight. The flowers closing up for sleep while the fireflies and moths came out to play. She stopped under a large winding tree, an oak or something of the sort. It grew large, tall, and proud with thick limbs and deep green leaves. The ashy brown colour of the trunk glowed slightly as the moon, in a quarter shape, slowly rose in its celestial orbit over the rooftops. Kaida placed a hand to the wood and leaned against it listening to the night sounds.

One sound stuck out suddenly, footsteps on the gravel, light and slow. Kaida turned and looked around but saw no one around. She took a step forward, away from the great tree. Then another, and another, and another, until she was near the house again, where a shadow fell upon the ground heavily. Kaida peeked around a corner cautiously and saw nothing but heard the footsteps become louder, closer. Perhaps it was another person who grew tired of the drinking and terribly awful jokes about a mooselion and a turtleduck.

She was glad to have slipped on a pair of flat shoes with a thin strap instead of the traditional sandals when she came outside because wandering about on the rocks here would have been difficult to balance upon otherwise. It also made her footsteps quite silent, easier for her to hear the others.

A shadow appeared around a corner of the large house, pacing it seemed. It raised it head and looked straight at her, her heart jumped. She didn't have time to react much when she saw it coming for her in large, quick steps. Kaida moved to run but nearly lost her balance. As she started to slip the shadow reached forward and caught her wrist, pulling her back up.

"Prince Zuko…?" She looked hard at the dark figure in front of her, her eyes adjusting, her heart hoping.

"I've never been referred to that way before, but no," said the shadow. It was Li-Hyun.

Kaida's hope sank as she sighed and tried to wretch back her hand from him. He held fast.

"Shouldn't you be inside?" His eyes were hard and dull as he stepped into a bit of the moonlight.

"Shouldn't you?" she asked defensively. "Aunt Yoriko gave me permission to be excused."

"It isn't good for young ladies to be wandering around in the dark alone," Li-Hyun said without a trace of emotion in his voice.

"I'll be alright, thank you," Kaida tried to break free again, to no avail.

"What is your hurry? I'll keep you company," Li-Hyun tightened his grip and leaned forward a bit.

Kaida's stomach dropped, "I'd rather be alone, thank you Li-Hyun."

Something about the situation made her even more uncomfortable than usual, especially when he began pulling her closer and leading her towards an outside wall of the house. She made an attempt to dash away but as soon as she took a couple steps he pulled her back into the wall with stunning force. She blinked and looked fearfully up to him, caught. Li-Hyun wore a smile, a wicked smile, one that sent a chill down her spine. He was not the kind of man who should smile, especially like that. His hand moved to her waist.

"No need to act so afraid, I won't hurt you now." Weeks of his beatings made that statement a bit mistrustful…

"Please…let me go back inside. I think I hear Aunt Yoriko calling-…"

He continued to smile, feigning warmth, and leaned closer until Kaida could feel his breath. It was a crawling feeling that made her more uncomfortable, almost disgusted. She leaned to one side as if to run and he slammed a hand onto the wall, blocking her way. This gesture brought him even closer…

Colour rose in Kaida's cheeks, she balled her fists tightly, "My aunt…she won't like this…"

"Your aunt is not here."

"C-can I…leave please?"

'Shh," he said harshly and leaned towards her as if to kiss. He got so close before something possessed Kaida enough to bring her hand up and slap the man across the face. Only her hand was quite a bit hotter than expected.

He recoiled, but held fast. He turned to look at her, the skin on his cheek a vivid red. He was angry and it was written all over his stinging face. His grip on her waist went numbingly tight, his nails digging into her obi, his other hand snaked its way behind her hair, pulling on her hair. She raised her hand to hit him again but he caught it and squeezed until little beads of blood shone on her pale skin. Her eyes were so dark they appeared black.

Kaida's heart beat so fast and hard it was hurting her ribs and suddenly time felt as though it stood still. She wretched herself free at last and punched the man square in the chest, with a great jet of white-hot flame following her fingers into his skin. He flew backwards until he came to a stop on the flagstones, sprawled out most indignantly. When he turned to look back at her, Li-Hyun looked afraid for the first time. Kaida stood in a powerful stance, eyes lit with anger.

"You're…you're a firebender!" He exclaimed and called out to those inside at the top of his lungs. Kaida glanced once at the house, then to Li-Hyun before dashing off to the garden gate and out to the street.

She ran down the dark pathways with her heart pounding, too afraid to stop. Something was burning the base of her neck making her throat hurt and the air feel heavy. She looked up, seeing a large figure slithering down the road in her direction and slid to a stop. Suddenly a great figure towered over her in the night, its eyes glittering. A large black dragon with a white circle on its forehead and narrow yellow eyes stared down at her. Kaida's breath caught in her throat as she stared upwards, in sheer terror and awe, as it began to speak…

--

Zuko woke with a start, throwing off his blanket and breathed heavily as his heart pounded in his chest. He sighed to calm down and let his hand stray to his scar where he touched the leathery skin in relief.


	7. The Dragon Thief

A/N: At last a new chapter. School is so busy lately. XP Anyways, hope you all like it! (Love how the Avatar soundtrack is on YouTube now hint hint)

* * *

Kaida's eyes were squeezed shut with fright. The last thing she saw was the gaping jaws of a creature that was supposed to be extinct. But there came no crushing bite, no plume of fire. She felt…light.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes. She was floating in the air, surrounded by the same village she had seen not a moment ago. But instead of the vibrant whites, greens, and gold, there was a dull replacement; it seemed as though the city had been filled with a dark grey smoke. Around her wove a great black band with a ridged edge that flew past with great speed as the band contorted and shifted in the air.

Kaida looked up above her and gasped; there was the great black dragon with the white circle upon its wide forehead, and the gleaming yellow eyes. It glowered down at her without blinking, slowly sinking to her level until its massive head was just in front of hers, eyes locked.

She could feel herself trembling, violently now in fact. The air had grown bitterly cold and her hair and dress billowed out as though she were caught in a breeze. Worst of all, she found that, whether it was from fear or some other thing she did not know, she could not move.

'Speak, tell me your name," said the dragon in a loud, booming voice. "You will find that your mouth still works, silly human."

"…K-Kaida-"

"Kaida, of Fire Nation, I have come to you as you have summoned me so foolishly." He interrupted, eyes flashing dangerously.

"I did not summon you, Great Dragon, I was merely-"

"You have summoned me! By that talisman you wear around your neck! There," he stared at the little pendant that floated in the strange, ever-direction breeze, "by that trinket you have summoned me, and thus sealed your fate."

Kaida was afraid, what fate had she made for herself? "What are you called, Dragon?" she asked boldly.

"I am called Xiao Tou." He lifted his head regally.

'Thief?' thought Kaida. "For what are you named?"

"For my gifts. I take from you humans, your gifts. Your bending."

"You take away a person's ability to bend?"

"Not just the ability, but the Chi along with it! And for most, the will to exist without it."

'I don't want him to take that away from me!' Kaida panicked, but then remembered who she had received the necklace from. It was no wonder why such an ill deity would be tied to the artifact if Zhao had given it up to her.

"Now, Kaida of Fire Nation," began Xiao Tou, "Show me your bending! Relish your last moments of ability before it perishes within you." His voice sent a chill down Kaida's spine, so full of malice and hate.

Thinking quickly, she began, with some difficulty as she was still floating, the forms which she used to practice her airbending. 'One, two,' she punched the air, breathing evenly.

The dragon chuckled, low and deep, "A little airbender hailing from the Fire Nation? How amusing. Well then, little airbender, I pray your last moments have been satisfying."

He suddenly leapt upon her, mouth agape, teeth bared, and appeared to swallow her in one bite. But he vanished in a shower of black dust, the dragon pendant shattered upon Kaida's chest as she still floated, gently, unconscious.

The feeling of a gust blowing through her body, a thousand needles on every inch of her skin, fatigue, and emptiness; what she had been left with after the dragon disappeared. But then a warmth fell over her pale skin and grew until it cast such a bright light upon her that she woke and found herself staring up at the long dead Avatar Roku.

"Clever girl, you are not meant to remain here any longer." He said in a gentle voice.

Despite his reassuring tone, Kaida felt an overwhelming feeling of emptiness, of sadness, that she looked upon Roku and asked, "Am I dead?"

"No," he chuckled, eyes shining, "Merely trapped in the Spirit World. I shall return you, however, for you are still needed."

"Not by my aunt I hope…" she mumbled dismally.

"By the current Avatar," Roku said loudly, "and those traveling along with him. You will play a part in what is to come."

Her eyes widened, turning a bright green, "What is that? Will the war end?"

Roku merely smiled, "You will discover for yourself in due time. Now rise."

She had not notice that she was "lying" as she floated there and stepped up, finding she could stand. Kaida pressed her skirt into place neatly and looked back at the man.

Roku was right in front of her now, and reached up, resting a hand under her chin, "You must have courage, for it will take all you have to succeed; as it will for everyone."

Kaida looked uneasy, "How is it you know I am to be important in anything to come?"

Roku laughed again, "I know much about all souls, living and beyond. But to remind me, I have marked a brand of fate upon those which carry a destiny to fulfill." As he spoke he took up her left arm and turned it over. The sleeve fell back to her elbow revealing the pale dragon scar, which has turned bright red upon Roku's touch. He was amused by her astonishment.

"I shall now restore you to the living world. You shall wake when the right person finds you."

As Kaida glanced up at him again, he waved his hand slowly over her face and her eyes closed, immediately put into a deep sleep. The grey city of Ba Sing Se evaporated along with Roku himself and melted into darkness…


End file.
